LONDON, UK: Currently, six million people in the UK are supplied with fluoridated water, and around 300,000 are supplied with water which contains naturally occurring fluoride. In a recent call to action, the Oral Health Foundation has asked the UK government to step up its efforts to expand the areas of fluoridation across the country.
The current state of the UK’s general oral health is well below an acceptable level, and the Oral Health Foundation, along with NHS England and the Community Water Fluoridation network, believes that community water fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure for improving the oral health of children and tackling oral inequality among disadvantaged communities.
Recently, pressure has been put on the UK government by the British Dental Association about the lack of funding for dentistry within the NHS, and the newly elected government will have to address the issue of water fluoridation. “We’re delighted that NHS England and the Community Water Fluoridation network, along with several MPs, are raising the issue of water fluoridation again,” said Dr Nigel Carter, OBE, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation.
In the UK, tooth extractions remain the number one reason for hospital admissions of 5- to 9-year-olds. However, some studies, such as the 2017 technical report titled A Complete Waste of Money! Water Fluoridation Costs for England, 2013–2021, have concluded that better gains could be made by cutting the water fluoridation programme and diverting some of the finance to targeted sustainable and effective oral health initiatives.
However, in a comment unrelated to the aforementioned study, the Oral Health Foundation noted that, while the fluoridation of water supplies would not completely solve the problem, it would make a significant impact in turning the tide on children’s oral health.
Tags:
LONDON, UK: Though the benefits of fluoride in drinking water for oral health are firmly established, it is estimated that just six million UK residents ...
MANCHESTER, UK: Researchers from the University of Manchester have conducted a pioneering study in the UK focusing on the oral health and economic impacts ...
LONDON, UK: In last month’s UK general election, the Conservative Party recorded a resounding victory, securing 365 seats to achieve an outright majority ...
PLYMOUTH, UK: Though dentistry can be a highly stressful field to work in at times, little research has been done into how time pressure can affect a ...
LONDON, UK: Throughout their pregnancy and for the first year after giving birth, mothers in the UK are entitled to free dental care through the National ...
LONDON, UK: The UK government is currently holding a consultation on appropriate indemnity cover for health care professionals who are not covered by any ...
REDDITCH – Artificial fluoridation of drinking water has been controversial as a public health measure worldwide. Now, the British Dental Association ...
LONDON, UK: After a period of public consultation, advisors to the UK government have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to warrant a ban on the ...
LONDON, UK: The dental industry has gone through many sudden and extreme changes since the start of the pandemic, and it is now evident that access to oral ...
LONDON, UK: A green paper published by the UK government has outlined an ambitious plan for the UK to be “smoke-free” by 2030. The goal is part of a ...
Live webinar
Fri. 19 July 2024
1:00 am UTC (London)
Live webinar
Tue. 6 August 2024
11:00 pm UTC (London)
Live webinar
Wed. 14 August 2024
12:00 am UTC (London)
Live webinar
Wed. 14 August 2024
5:30 pm UTC (London)
Live webinar
Wed. 21 August 2024
2:00 pm UTC (London)
Dr. Jim Lai DMD, MSc(Perio), EdD, FRCD(C)
Live webinar
Thu. 29 August 2024
1:00 am UTC (London)
Live webinar
Mon. 2 September 2024
10:00 am UTC (London)
To post a reply please login or register